AS & A Level Information Technology 9626 · Topic 18

Mail merge: past paper questions

8 real questionsasked in 3 of the last 10 exam series2019–2025usually: Explain, Describe, Justify, Use

Real questions on mail merge

The newest 8 of 8 written questions. Open one to see it on the real paper.

9626/33 · May/June 2025 · Q4[6]
A mobile (cell) phone service provider is sending emails to all of its customers. The email informs each customer of changes to their individual contract. Justify the use of mail merge to create the emails.
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9626/31 · October/November 2023 · Q2b[4]
Explain how a merge field can be used to prompt for and insert the date of the special event in the invitations when they are produced.
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9626/33 · October/November 2023 · Q2b[4]
Explain how a merge field can be used to prompt for and insert the date of the special event in the invitations when they are produced.
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9626/31 · May/June 2023 · Q5[5]
A director of a company has many managers to supervise. Monthly meetings are held. Each month, different managers are invited to attend. Mail merge is used to create a standard email which is sent to the chosen managers inviting them. Describe how mail merge could be used to automatically select only the chosen manager...
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9626/33 · May/June 2023 · Q5[5]
A director of a company has many managers to supervise. Monthly meetings are held. Each month, different managers are invited to attend. Mail merge is used to create a standard email which is sent to the chosen managers inviting them. Describe how mail merge could be used to automatically select only the chosen manager...
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9626/33 · October/November 2020 · Q9b[3]
Next Record If
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9626/33 · October/November 2020 · Q9c[2]
Skip Record If
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9626/33 · May/June 2019 · Q7[4]
The manager of a company has decided to contact existing customers to gather detailed feedback about a product. She needs responses from a large number of customers as quickly as possible. Use the information given in Fig. 7.1 to select, with reasons, the most appropriate method of asking the customers for their feedba...
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What examiners said

This question was found to be challenging by candidates. Manual completion methods are used in mail merge to allow users to insert data, e.g. a name or date at the time of the merge. Usually a prompt is made and the user types in the relevant data allowing the merge to proceed. A typical method would be, e.g. the use of a fill-in field in the location of required date with a prompt to ensure the u...
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 9626/33 Q2(b) (Cambridge)

Given that mail merge is a main topic in the syllabus (see Topic 17.1, p. 35), it was expected that candidates would have a good knowledge of how to set up rules to automatically select recipients. Most candidates did not show the expected understanding of the process. Vague answers with references to the ‘use of filters on the spreadsheet’ were not awarded more than one, or possibly, two marks....
— Examiner report, May/June 2023, 9626/31 Q5 (Cambridge)

Given that mail merge is a main topic in the syllabus (see Topic 17.1, p. 35), it was expected that candidates would have a good knowledge of how to set up rules to automatically select recipients. Most candidates did not show the expected understanding of the process. Vague answers with references to the ‘use of filters on the spreadsheet’ were not awarded more than one, or possibly, two marks....
— Examiner report, May/June 2023, 9626/33 Q5 (Cambridge)

Practise this topic

Answer these questions online and get each one marked against the official mark scheme, with what you missed and how to fix it.

Practise mail merge

In the syllabus

18.1 Mail merge

When and why mail merge is used
The need for data sources and master documents
Creating/editing and using source data using appropriate software
Creating a master document for: – letters – labels (including custom labels) – a directory
Link a master document to a source file, including: – identifying and using correct field names – embedding a chart/table
Inserting: – specified merge fields – document properties – document fields – date/time fields
Setting up fields: – for manual completion, including: ○ using Fill-in and Ask fields ○ creating appropriate prompts to the user for manual completion ○ for automatic completion calculations, including inserting formulas – when and why fields need to be set up
Specifying rules: – for selecting recipients, including: ○ editing ○ sorting ○ filtering – for excluding recipients – for excluding recipients by inserting conditional fields, including the use of: ○ If Then Else ○ Skip Record If ○ Next Record If – when and why rules need to be specified

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